No. 24 LSU cruises vs. No. 8 Miami in Jerry World

LSU Tigers linebacker Jacob Phillips (6) celebrates a pick-six in the second quarter against the Miami Hurricanes at AT&T Stadium.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Nick Brossette ran for 125 yards with two touchdowns, grad transfer quarterback Joe Burrow won his first college start and No. 24 LSU made an opening statement with a 33-17 victory over No. 8 Miami on Sunday night.

Once the game started, the Hurricanes never really backed the bravado they showed in a feisty exchange of words and some shoving between the teams during warmups about 75 minutes before kickoff.

LSU led 27-3 by halftime after Jacob Phillips returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown.

“Regardless of what’s out there and what people say, we believe in each other in that room, and we proved it tonight,” Tigers coach Ed Orgeron said about the perception that his team was the underdog.

Cole Tracy, a kicker last season at Division II Assumption College, made four field goals in his Tigers debut. His 54-yarder, which tied a school record, just skimmed over the crossbar and made it 33-3 late in the third quarter.

Miami, which has lost four games in a row since a 10-0 start last season, never got to celebrate with that gaudy turnover chain that comes out when the Hurricanes get a takeaway.

“We certainly had some things go well and some things not well,” said Miami coach Mark Richt, going into his third season at his alma mater. “A lot of self-inflicted wounds, not to take anything away from what LSU did. They beat us soundly.”

When LSU fumbled on the opening drive, receiver Dee Anderson managed to recover after taking a shot to the head and losing the ball briefly at the end of an 11-yard catch for a first down. The Hurricanes instead lost starting cornerback Trajan Bandy when he was ejected for targeting.

The Hurricanes thought they had a fumble return for a touchdown later in the first quarter, but a replay review determined it was an incomplete pass by Burrow instead of a fumble.

LSU went ahead to stay in the final minute of the first quarter after Burrow, who played in 10 games for Ohio State the past two years, changed a play at the line of scrimmage. Brossette then took an inside handoff and went untouched down the middle of the field for a 50-yard TD run that snapped a 3-3 tie.

“We saw it in camp, I thought he was our most physical back,” Orgeron said.

Burrow finished 11 of 24 for 140 yards.

“Execute, do what the game plan says,” Burrow said “Really all that was on my mind was going out and playing with my brothers and executing at a high level.”

Brossette’s 1-yard run made it 17-3 on an 11-play drive when LSU twice converted fourth-and-1 – on a 2-yard gain by Brossette near midfield, and when Miami jumped offside. He had only 96 yards rushing all last season as a junior.

THE TAKEAWAY

Miami: Malik Rosier had a record-setting season last year with his 31 touchdowns (26 passing, five rushing) and 3,588 yards, but had some of the same issues that plagued him in losing the final three games. Rosier was 15 of 35 for 259 yards with two interceptions against LSU. The Hurricanes were down 33-3 before his 3-yard TD keeper and 32-yard TD pass to Brian Hightower in the fourth quarter. In the losing streak to end last season, he had three total TDs (all passing) with five interceptions.

LSU: An impressive start despite a somewhat ragged fourth quarter for the Tigers, who had three other division foes from the brutal SEC West ranked ahead of them in the preseason AP Top 25. After their home opener, they will get an early chance to show if they are for real when they go to Auburn in two weeks.

IMPRESSIVE CATCHES

Jeff Thomas led Miami with five catches for 132 yards, including an impressive 1-handed grab along the sideline for a 16-yard gain on a drive in the first quarter that led to a Hurricanes field goal. Thomas had another highlight play in the third quarter, when he went high in the air to make a two-handed catch in front of defenders along the sideline.

AT HOME IN JERRYWORLD

LSU is 4-0 in its games played in AT&T Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. All of those wins have been again AP Top 25 opponents. That includes three season openers and a win in the 2011 Cotton Bowl over Texas A&M).